Rise and Grind: 6 Advantages to Making Your Bed

Making a bed is a mundane task we are faced with every single day. For some, it is gospel tradition but for others the thought barely crosses their mind. Yes, no one’s going to see it, you’re just getting back in it in a few hours, and it’s a waste of time… any more excuses I’m missing?

Either way, I am here to enlighten you all on the importance of bed-making and hopefully convert a few of you into bed-making fanatics. It’s more than corner-to-corner; the entire process goes a long way. There are also plenty of benefits gained from making your bed every morning, such as the following:

1. Start as You Mean to Go On

A wise man (Naval Admiral William McRaven, to be precise) once said that “if you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. By the end of the day that one task will have turned into many tasks completed”.

Every morning the sun rises, and we open our eyes to a new day. It’s up to you how you spend it, whether you delay getting on your feet to spend the day binge-watching the latest Netflix series or plan to jump out of bed to a jam-packed day of productivity. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with spending a day in bed, in fact, a lazy day is necessary once in a while to recharge our batteries, but, at some point, the covers have to come off and we must rise from the warmth and comfort of bed.

However, there is no better way to start a productive day like getting up and making your bed. It sets the tone for the day and although only a small task, it’s the first milestone of accomplishments we plan to make that day. At the end of the day, or rather, at the beginning; it all starts with a clean bed.

2. The Pursuit of Happiness

Yeah, sure, we’re just going to get back in the bed at the end of the day, right? It might seem like a waste of time, but those 30 seconds set the tone for your whole day. Simple tasks like making your bed can lead you to achieve great things that day.

In Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, research found that making your bed leads to the happiness we all crave, whilst also lowering stress levels. Why? Well, it makes the bedroom look cleaner, allows things to be found more easily around the bed, and simply promotes a peaceful environment. That definitely makes it worth the 30 seconds out of your day if you ask me!

The fact is, making your bed is more than a mundane task of rearranging warm sheets – it’s about mind-set. People who make their bed in the morning have a positive mind-set to get things done, without cutting corners. It reflects your ability to participate in micro-actions throughout your day to better your life.
Start with making a bed, move onto getting that promotion, and inevitably end by ruling the world!

3. Tidy Room, Tidy Mind

Regardless of your daily plans, as humans we have consistent thoughts and responsibilities running through our minds. Send that letter, pay the rent, do the laundry, make lists of three. To live a life without having to complete regular tasks would be impossible, despite my wishes to live the life of a sloth.

I personally can’t even think about doing anything remotely productive if my bed isn’t looking pristine; I’m sure Queen Elizabeth’s four-poster bed is perfectly smoothed over before she begins her day ruling the country.

It seems that a clean bed is more than preparing for the night before; it triggers something in our brain that gives us motivation and drive. Charles Duhigg in his Power of Habit explains a tidy bedroom as directly linked to “a greater sense of well-being and stronger skills at sticking with a budget”. Well, what do you know! Making your bed in the morning can save you money? Sign us up!

4. The Best Room in the House

Bedrooms specifically serve the purpose for us to unwind and relax. Many spend thousands of pounds and hours of time perfecting theirs to build a pleasant environment to have a little me-time. Rightly so, as the average person spends 25 years of their life in bed.

A beautiful bedroom simply cannot be achieved with an untidy bed. I challenge you to clean around a mountain of slept-in bedsheets and be happy with the result; it can’t be done. Making your bed in the morning immediately brightens up your bedroom and brings a tidy and organised aesthetic. In fact, a clean bed can brighten up even a cluttered room; ah, the power of the bed, it is a beautiful thing!

Once your bed is made and your room is looking beautiful you’re also more likely to keep the other areas of your bedroom tidy too – win, win!

5. Sneezing Solved

The average person spends around eight hours in bed, and when you think about it eight hours in one confined space sounds like a long time. During our sleep, dust and dead skin cells, as well as animal hair (if you’re a proud parent to a fur baby), can settle into the sheets. This can all build up over time and cause allergies, which I don’t need to tell you doesn’t exactly make a bed cosier.

When we make our bed in the morning, we shake our sheets to rid all dust. If you do have a cat or a dog I’m sure they’ll view this as an affront to their hard work, giving you, their beloved master, a whole heap of fur. Be that as it may, they simply have the opportunity to give you more; so, it’s best for both parties.

If we did not make our bed in the morning, we could spend the following nights sneezing uncomfortably from dust build up. All us bed-makers will sleep happily at night while the latter may lose sleep from lying in their own dead skin. A lovely image, I know, but you can’t deny it’s a motivating thought!

6. The Perfect End to the Day

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as coming home from a long day to a perfectly made bed. Who wants to walk into their bedroom to be greeted by a messy pile of used sheets? No one, surely.

You don’t need a million throw cushions and luxurious bed throws to make a bed look welcoming. All you need is strong base, such as that granted by divan beds, and to teach yourself the ‘hospital corner folding’ trick to give your bed a seamless finish like you’re climbing into a hotel bed every single night.

It’s surprisingly simple! First, you tuck the sheet at the foot of the bed under the mattress, then you take the end of the untucked sheet and pull it up diagonally, leaving it on top of the bed, and tuck the hanging sheet under the sides of the mattress. Finally, pull the sheet that you pulled up before and drag that down, tucking it under the mattress as a third fold.

Do You Make Your Bed Every Day?

I hope that’s enough to convince you to start living an organised and comfortable life. Understandably, everyone is different, and some people simply don’t deem making a bed necessary. However, I challenge you to begin a bed-making habit and watch your mind-set transform.

Remember, it takes approximately 21 days to form a habit, so why not start in the morning? Do you make the bed every day and marvel at the benefits, or are you adamant that there’s little to be gained from a fresh bed? Let us know on Twitter, share it with us on Facebook and tag us on Instagram with that brilliant bedding!

Nikita is a content writer here at Happy Beds. A fresh English Language and Literature graduate, she has a love for classical literature, blogging about a variety of music events, and plenty of sunny city breaks.